Max Verstappen won the inaugural Miami GP, he got one step closer to defending his title against the championship leader Charles Leclerc. The Red bull driver showcased phenomenal driving in Miami last week, but an F1 legend knew about Max’s talent since 2016.

The 24-year-old Dutchman is already a world champion, but he showcased his potential as a talented driver about six years ago. Verstappen began his 2016 season with Toro Rosso but swapped his seat for Daniil Kyvat’s at Red Bull. Team Principal Christian Horner believed the young Dutchman would be a great pairing with Daniel Ricciardo.

The Red Bull boss wasn’t wrong as Verstappen won his debut race for the Milton Keynes-based team at the 2016 Spanish GP. The three-time world champion Niki Lauda also visited the Spanish paddock that day. After witnessing Max’s phenomenal driving after changing teams, he called Max Verstappen the talent of this century.

Lauda reported, “I have no answer. Except – “cap off” -he’s a talent of the century. I’ve never seen somebody in motorsport who switched cars and went straight to win a Grand Prix. That has never happened before.

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“And it will never happen again I’d say. Since what that young guy just accomplished, he just passed his driving license, keeping everyone in check here, winning the race, is an unbelievable achievement!” Lauda further said.

F1 legend sees Max Verstappen as a world champion again

Even though Charles Leclerc is leading the championship race, F1 legend Marc Surer believes Verstappen has an upper hand against the Ferrari driver. He claims Verstappen has already fought hard for the world champion title last season and knows the pressure of the fight for the championship, but the Monegasque doesn’t have the same experience.

Surer said, “Then I would put my money on Verstappen. He’s already been through it once. What Verstappen showed last season was really sensational. He remained icy calm all year round. In the end, he gave everything and he just won the championship on the track. At Leclerc, we don’t know if he can handle that pressure.“

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Currently, Leclerc is sitting at the top of the driver’s standings with 104 points. Meanwhile, Verstappen is second with 85 points. Thus, the upcoming Spanish GP is going to play a huge role as Max winning the race will get him closer to defending his title. Undoubtedly, the Barcelona race would be a phenomenal clash between Verstappen and Leclerc.